Damaschke Field

42.451716°N 75.058299°W / 42.451716; -75.058299 Damaschke Field, officially Dutch Damaschke Stadium, is a sports playing field and stadium in Oneonta, New York. Primarily used for baseball, the field has been a municipal landmark for over a hundred years.

Dutch Damaschke Stadium
Damaschke Field
Former namesElm Park (1905-1967)
Dutch Damaschke Stadium (1968-present)
LocationOneonta, New York
Capacity4,500
Field sizeLeft Field: 333 feet
Center Field: 401 feet
Right Field: 335 feet
Opened1905 (1905)
Tenants
Oneonta Indians (NYPL/CAL) (1924, 1940–1942)
Oneonta Red Sox (CAL) (1946–1951)
Oneonta Red Sox (NYPL) (1966)
Oneonta Yankees (NYPL) (1967–1998)
Oneonta Tigers (NYPL) (1999–2009)
Oneonta Outlaws (NYCBL/PGCBL) (2010–present)

History

The original baseball field was officially opened on Memorial Day in 1905 under the name Elm Park.[1] Numerous stars from the early years of US baseball, including Babe Ruth and Rogers Hornsby, drew large crowds at the field for semi-pro and exposition games. A permanent steel grandstand was erected for spectators in 1938.[1]

The grandstand and first-base side bleachers of Damaschke Field during a 2017 game.
The grandstand and first-base side bleachers of Damaschke Field during a 2017 game.

In August 1968, the city renamed the site as Dutch Damaschke Stadium to honor local sports coach, referee, and counselor Ernest C. "Dutch" Damaschke, who had served as Oneonta's Recreation Commissioner for more than thirty years.[2] The field and stadium are administered as public facilities within Oneonta's large Neahwa Park.[3]

The site was the longtime home of the area's minor league baseball team, the Oneonta Red Sox (1966), Oneonta Yankees (1967–1998), Oneonta Tigers (1999–2009). The field has also regularly hosted the Oneonta Indians football team, the Oneonta United soccer team, and the Hartwick College baseball team.[1] It is currently the home field of the Oneonta Outlaws, a collegiate summer baseball team in the Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League.[4]

A few games were staged here in late May of 1973 by the Syracuse Chiefs of the International League while their home field MacArthur Stadium was being repaired after a fire.

The field of play at Damaschke field during a game in 2018.
The field of play at Damaschke field during a game in 2018.

References
  1. "Old ballpark has seen the greats". The Oneonta Star. June 23, 1970. p. 11. Archived from the original on February 4, 2019. Retrieved February 3, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.open access
  2. "Damaschke honored Wednesday". The Oneonta Star. August 26, 1968. p. 10. Archived from the original on February 4, 2019. Retrieved February 3, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.open access
  3. "Oneonta's Parks". Oneonta.ny.us. Oneonta Recreation Department. 2014. Archived from the original on 10 June 2014. Retrieved 12 August 2014.
  4. "Oneonta Outlaws Homepage". Oneonta Outlaws. Retrieved May 31, 2019.
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